BROCKTON- When 17-year-old Dinho Fernandes was gunned down eight years ago

on Sylvester Street and two others were wounded, the survivors wouldn't say

who opened fire.

When Donald D. Averette was shot to death on Allen Street five years ago, none of the people standing next to him would say who fired the fatal shot.

And when West Bridgewater High School football star Jose Gurley was shot on Arthur Paquin Way in Brockton early July 21, none of the 10 to 12 people near him - including his cousin - said they saw or knew the killer.

But that "code of silence" that kept killers free may be slowly lifting thanks to prosecutors, police and a slowly changing community mindset.

Of the 11 slayings in Brockton so far this year, arrests have been made in 10 of the cases. In one of the 10 cases, the shooting death of Gurley, authorities charged a 20-year-old man as being an accessory after the fact of murder but are still looking for the gunman.

"The police have been relentless," Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said. "These guys keep going out there, talking to people. Because of the reluctance of some people to cooperate, they keep working until they find somebody."

The arrests come as prosecutors get tough on uncooperative and lying witnesses, pressing charges ranging from witness intimidation, perjury and obstruction of justice.

"We are using every tool in the tool box," Cruz said. "If that means bringing people into court to face perjury charges, we are going to do that."

It seems to be working, said Lt. John Crowley, chief of detectives.

"When the reality sets in and they realize charges will be pending, when it actually happens and they know it is not just an idle threat, things seem to change," Crowley said.

While there is some progress, authorities said more needs to be done.

Members of the community organized peace marches, and a meeting at St. Edith Stein Church detailed gang signs that parents in the Cape Verdean community need to recognize.

One sign was youths wearing certain T-shirts, including one emblazoned with the words "CV Kings" and pictures of bullet holes.

"You could hear the gasps of parents," said the Rev. James Flavin. "They didn't know."

Flavin said parents, particularly those in the immigrant community, are slowly becoming educated about the gang issue and how to detect signs their children may be getting involved.

"Education is going to make a difference," he said.

Cruz said community meetings and rallies are a good start, but authorities need people who witness crimes to talk.

"People can be peace marchers all day long, but I still need people to give me information about crimes," Cruz said.

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Maureen Boyle of The Enterprise (Brockton, Mass) can be reached at mboyle@enterprisenews.com.